Laura Helbig's locks will be lost as she takes part in the World's Greatest Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation, with an aim to raise $5,000.
Laura, along with other staff members and students at Shalom College, will be shaving her head to raise vital funds for Leukaemia Foundation research, while supporting friends and family who have battled the disease.
“One of the reasons I'm so passionate about this is because one of my close friends and colleagues went through her own battle with blood cancer last year,” Laura said.
“I know how hard it was for her to get through the treatments and through to remission last September, so I want to be able to help anyone else who may be in a similar situation to her.”
Laura said by raising money to support the Leukaemia Foundation the organisation would be able to help more patients, and the families of those suffering from blood cancer by supporting them physically and emotionally through their treatments and funding travel or accommodation costs.
The foundation also uses funds raised for research into helping people survive blood cancer.
“I've really wanted to shave my head for the Leukaemia Foundation for about three years now, because I've seen friends do it and I was pretty amazed at how much money they were able to raise for people battling with cancer,” Laura said.
Laura said she wouldn’t just be chopping her hair to a shorter length but going all the way to a close shave.
“I'm going to be shaving my head completely down to a guard two or three,” she said.
“I'm hoping to raise $5,000.
“As I said before, my friend and colleague went through her own battle with blood cancer last year, and also my Grandpa currently has cancer.
“Also, one of my little cousin's has Alopecia and parts of my hair will be going into wigs to give to kids who have lost their hair.”
Laura graduated from Shalom College last year and is working through her gap year as a teacher aid, along with 13 other graduates from the school.
Laura's passion to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation
She is also one of the Bundaberg Region’s young entrepreneurs as she started her own business Laura’s Scrunchies, which is now known as Love the Label, making and selling hair accessories when she was 16.
“I think I'll miss being able to wear the scrunchies in my hair, but I always have one around my wrist anyway so not much will change there,” she giggled.
Laura’s mum Rebecca Helbig said she thought her daughter was acting on a whim, but then realised the 17-year-old’s passion to help others and determination to go through with shaving her head was very important to her.
“At first we thought it was just an impulse decision,” Rebecca said.
“But because she's been wanting to do it for a while now, and she's so passionate about doing it for a good cause and has been pretty determined to go through with it – we will definitely support her.”
To assist Laura to raise money for the World's Greatest Shave click here.
